My Orlesian Princess
by avatar-ahsoka
Summary: Leliana is having violent nightmares. Josephine finds her, broken and inconsolable, and takes it upon herself to help the Nightingale find comfort again. Platonic Leliana and Josephine. One-shot


A small flame was all that illuminated Josephine's office. It grew dimmer as the night drew on, but she continued writing at a furious pace. She had to finish drafting two letters before morning. Every day, Tevinter and Nevarra drifted closer to war and it has fallen on the shoulders of Ambassador Montilyet to yet again broker a deal that would be one for the history books. Josephine was tired, as she had been tired for the last year the Inquisition spread across Orlais and Ferelden. Sometimes, she found herself wishing she would have never joined this cause, stayed in Antiva City, and rebuilt the House of Montilyet from there. Perhaps she could have met a nice man or woman to settle down with. But, the Maker compelled her and she would persevere. It was not the Maker that kept her in Skyhold, which had become a glorified prison with fine tapestries and furnishings in place of bars and chains, but Leliana. The Nightingale was, still is, and always will be Josephine's greatest friend.

"In conclusion, the Inquisition will not support either side in this conflict. Instead, we call for a peace summit on neutral ground. As Ambassador for the Inquisition, we humbly ask you, King Markus, to send a delegation of your finest diplomats to the negotiations in…"

Exhaustion had made Josephine forget where she and the other advisors has agreed to hold the summit. Was it Tantervale? Certainly not Kirkwall. Perhaps Starkhaven? She grunted in frustration then rose her hands to her eyes to empty them of weariness. Josephine rose, straightened her golden dress, and began to walk towards the rookery. She assumed Leliana would also still be awake. Josephine always assumed she just never slept. Without any light, Josephine left her office with a nearly zombie-like gait. When she reached the main hall of Skyhold, only scarce light came in through the magnificent stained glass, but, when she reached the stairs leading up to the library, there was only darkness. Paranoia seeped in as whispers seemed to trickle down from the upper levels. They grew louder as Josephine traversed into the chamber. A sudden scream from the rookery sent a jolt down her spine, reawakening the keen instincts she had developed as a bard.

"Leliana," Josephine shouted as she grabbed an unlit candelabra from a nearby table then sprinted up the stairs to the rookery. Protecting her friend by any means necessary supplanted all feeling of weariness.

What she found was unexpected. Instead of a fight, there was one candle illuminating Leliana laying upon a hay bale, violently twisting and turning with screams still escaping her mouth. Josephine approached quickly, setting down what she had intended to be a weapon. For a moment, she hesitated, only idly watching her best friend's tear stained face contort with fear and horror. First, Josephine kneeled on the hay bale and reached out, gently raising Leliana up into her arms. Shaking Leliana lightly, she began to say her name.

"Leliana"

Josephine spoke as she had all those years ago, when Leliana had drank too much at Lady Allard's soiree and she had to wake her up the following morning. Oh, how upset Leliana had been with her.

"Leliana"

This time she said it with frustration, fear setting in as screams still poured from her mouth and tears still fell like a deluge.

"Leliana"

Now Josephine wailed with a desperate sob.

"Wake up right now. You are scaring me, Leliana. Please wake up."

All of this harkened back to when Josephine brought Leliana to a party of nobles in Ghislain. She could remember it like it was yesterday. One family was on the verge of being isolated from the nobility, so out of sheer desperation they had hired assassins to murder the Duke of Ghislain and his wife. Leliana and Josephine worked arduously to uncover this plot.

"Do not do this to me again."

She had gone off to speak with the Duke, leaving Leliana alone in the bedchamber where they had found the chief assassin.

"I am so sorry, Leliana. I promised not to abandon you ever again. But I did."

When Josephine returned, the assassin was gone, and there was her friend, bleeding out on the marble floor. She screamed and panicked, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

"Please. Wake up."

Leliana was able to regain consciousness and leave the ball to seek medical attention from their handler. But, Josephine was racked with guilt. She would always try to tell Josie it was not her fault, but that was little solace. Josephine knew how strong Leliana was, but that did not mean she was invincible.

All at once, the screams subsided and Leliana's eyes sprung open. Gasping for air, she jolted up from Josephine's arms, sweat plastering her scarlet hair to her forehead. Through uneven breath she spoke.

"Josie. Wh-what happened?"

"You were screaming," Josephine pulled a handkerchief from her vest and dabbed away the heavy tears from her friend's face, ignoring the ones that drenched her own skin, "Are you okay? Should I get a doctor? Or the Inquisitor?"

"No, Josie. I was just having a bad dream."

Leliana stood, taking a moment to gain balance, then walked towards a window. Josephine remained seated. Her hands lowered to her sides, nervously gripping the hay. She was deeply worried for her friend.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"No."

Josephine asked with a nervous gulp.

"Leliana. It isn't healthy to bottle these things up. Please talk to me."

She ran her gloved hand across the cold stone. The chill pierced through the leather. It brought her discomfort, but it served as a gentle reminder she was still alive, something that could easily slip her mind every now and again.

"It was two nightmares. I've been having them every night for months now."

"And no one has ever heard you?"

"I suppose not. Everyone is out of the library by the time I drift into sleep. Skyhold is a big place after all."

Nothing but reticence existed in the room. Josephine had not experienced this level of silence since she stood outside Leliana's room after the incident in Ghislain. She had been so afraid to walk in there and face her friend. She was certain Leliana would hate her for what happened. Fear of facing consequences is what led Josephine to drift away from her in the first place. Perhaps, if she had stayed with Leliana, she would have been able to keep her safe from the horrors of the Fifth Blight, of Kirkwall, of the Conclave. Josephine would not allow herself to abandon her friend again.

"Please, Leliana. Come sit. Tell me about the dreams."

Clad in her rough purple cowl and chainmail, Leliana walked back towards the dimly lit hay bale and sat close to Josephine, her best friend, her last friend.

"The first is of Denerim. The Archdemon. The Hero of Ferelden. How she died for Thedas' salvation," new tears began to stream down, "I loved her, Josie. And she loved me."

"I know," Josephine brought Leliana's head to her chest, "the second was of Justinia, wasn't it?"

"Yes. The Conclave, specifically. All I can see is that explosion. How powerful it was. How powerless I was to save her as she had saved me," she lost control, "I'm powerless, Josie. I loved them both so much. I promised to protect them but I just watched on as they died."

"I can only imagine the pain, Leliana. But, you remain here for their sacrifices. They would both want you to find peace, happiness. Don't you think?"

"Yes," she closed her eyes tight and lowered her head to Josephine's lap, "Thank you. Josephine. Will you stay with me for a few more moments?"

"Of course. Anything for you."

Despite the serenity that had overcome the two, Leliana was still restless. Rogue tears still fell to Josephine's leg. Despite all her best efforts, she knew darkness and pain the Nightingale's mind. But, she would never have to face it alone, not if the legendary Ambassador Montilyet had anything to say about it.

"Shh," she cooed, "I'm here, Leliana. I've got you."

The adrenaline that had overcome her when she came running up the stairs nearly half an hour ago had disappeared and the lethargy returned. All that kept her awake was the gentle motion of running her fingers through Leliana's hair.

"Do you recall our first mission together?"

"At that ball in Wycome?"

Josephine chuckled at the memory. There, the future Left Hand of the Divine had seduced two noble lords, three ladies-in-waiting, a Qunari spy, and an Antivan Crow all in one night.

"Yes. That's always been my favorite memory of you. How calm you always were, how collected you remained even as all these people engaged in such dangerous machinations. It kept me calm."

"Oh, Josie," Leliana laughed as heartily as she could, given her exhaustion, "I was even more afraid than you were! There were about ten Crows there ready to cut out heads off."

"Wait. That is not what you told me during the ball!"

"Of course not, Josie. You scare too easily."

"So you just let me wander about in mortal danger?" she paused, "And you were that flirtatious when people were trying to kill you? Wait…this was not the point I was trying to make. Ah…now I remember. Do you recall the song you sang there at the behest of the nobles?"

Leliana made a series of sounds indicating a 'no'. Josephine could tell sleep was encroaching quickly.

"Ah, well I do," she said softly, "I believe it is entitled 'Orlesian Dreams' or something of that nature."

A small sound from the nearly asleep woman either indicated agreement or indifference. Josephine began to sing.

"Goodnight, Princess of Orlais,

Be still, my love await the day

Journey forth, embrace your dreams

Tales of gold, stories of queens.

When you wake here you'll be

In my love, you will see."

"This isn't a bard song, Josie," Leliana seemed to be stirred awake if only for a moment, "It's an Orlesian lullaby."

Josephine continued to sing.

"Sleep, my love, time to rest,

In the morn, you'll be your best.

Goodnight, see what dreams await"

She ended her song, noticing Leliana's slumber. She whispered in a soft coo.

"Goodnight, my Orlesian princess."

Josephine listened to the gentle sound of their steady breaths. With great care, she reached across the hay bale to grab a wool blanket and covered her friend. She continued to stroke her friend's hair until she too fell asleep. Ambassador Montilyet and the Nightingale slept in peace for the first time in years. For the first time since they were but lowly bards, only surviving off noble coin and only staying sane off their unbreakable friendship.


End file.
